Tile for floors, walls, &amp; c.



No. 675,344. Patented May 28, l90l. E. T. BATES.

TILE FUR FLOORS, WALLS, 8w.

(Application filed Mar. 6, 1901.)

(No Model.)

d/WM

Wiimmw MM p 1121? UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

EDWARD T. BATES, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO MELVILLE LINDSAY, OF SAME PLACE.

TILE FOR FLOORS, WALLS, &,C.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 675,344, dated May 28, 1901.

Application filed March 6,1901.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LEDWARD T. BATES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington,-in the District of Oolu mbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tiles for Floors, Walls, &c.; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it ap- 1o pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to decorative art, such as floor and mural decorations, combining therewith utility and durability, has for its object the production of tiles which can be :5 made highly ornamental by separating the tiles into parts and using a variety of colors. to produce pleasing designs, and consists in certain improvements in construction, which will be fully disclosed in the following specizo fication and claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan view showing a plurality of tiles secured together; Fig. 2, a like view of one tile separated into two equal parts; Fig. 3, a like view of a key to secure the parts of a tile together and to connect two or more tiles, and Fig. 4 a vertical section of a modified construction of the key and two adjacent tiles.

Reference being had to the drawings and the designating characters thereon, l indicates a tile, preferably made in the form of an eight-sided figure, four of the straight sides 2 being of a given length and four straight 3 5 sides 3 shorter than the sides 2 and forming the corners of the tile. These sides are angular, and in the short sides 3 are formed cavities or openings 4, which constitute one member of a look by which the tiles are connected 0 together at their adjacent corners, as shown in Fig. 1, and in the center of the tile is a cavity or opening 5. The tile may be separated into four equal parts, each part being a quadrangle, as shown at the upper right-hand cor- 5 ner of Fig. 1, or it may be separated diagonally across the tile, each part forming a triangle, as shown at the left-hand corner of the same figure, or it may be separated across the tile through the center thereof and form an approximately rectangular figure, as shown in Fig. 2. It will be observed that each part Serial No. 50,009. (No model.)

of the tile thus separated retains a cavity or opening 4, by which to join it to the other by the insertion of a key 6, which is provided with four locking members 7, and that the key is separable into two parts on either of the lines 8 in Fig. 3 or into four parts by severing it on both of said lines. The key as a unit serves to join four tiles, the key in two parts to join adjacent tiles at the outer sides or edge of tiling, as shown at 9 in Fig. 1, and the quarter-sections serve to fill the cavities on the corners of the tiling, as at 10. The keys serve to securely lock the tiles together and prevent separation at their joints by ex pansion or contraction and are removable from the tiles, so that they may be readily displaced at any time that it is desired to take up or remove the tiling.

By making the tiles in separate parts a va- 7o riety of colors may be introduced and commingled in a tile or any desired number of tiles, and the locking of the parts together by a separate key-piece secures them against loss in handling or displacement, and the key itself may be made in a variety of colors to add to the decorative or ornamental effect of the tiling, and the key for connecting two or more tiles is interchangeable with the key in the center of the tiles, whereby the orna- 8o mental effect is greatly increased by the uniformity of the design and separating of the parts of the tiles (in case of breaking) is prevented.

The tiling and the keys may be made of any suitable material used for such purposes,such as rubber, rubber compound, wood, cement, ceramic ware, or papier-mach.

It is obvious that this system of locking tiles together may be applied to other uses- 0 such as the construction of toys, educational devices, and others-without departing from the spirit of my invention. It is also within the scope of my invention to lay the tiles in position and form the keys to connect them of plastic material, such as cement poured into the cavities and allowed to set or harden, when they may be finished on their exposed or wearing surfaces in the usual manner of doing such work.

Whenever it is desirable that the tiling should be secured upon the surface to which it is applied, the walls of opening 4: or minor sides or any portion thereof may be beveled and the locking member 7 or any portion of the key 6 corresponding with the beveled portion of recess 4 or side 3 beveled in the opposite direction, so that the key will hold the tiles firmly in position by securing the key in its position by nails, screws, or like means.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a key 6 with beveled members 7 for the purpose of securing tiles to a wall or ceiling and sections of tiles 1 in position with recesses 4 engaging member 7 of key 6.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is- 1. Tiling for floors and like purposes, composed of a plurality of tiles having a plurality of angular major and minor straight sides and joined together at their adjacent minor straight sides by separate keys.

2. Tiling for floors and other purposes,composed of tiles made in equal sections connected in the center of the tile by a key, and joined together at their adjacent corners by keys interchangeable with the key in the center of the tile.

3. A tile for floors and like purposes, made in sections connected by a key in the center of the tile.

4. A tile for floors and like purposes, made in four equal sections connected by a key in the center of the tile.

5. A tile for floors and like purposes, having a plurality of angular sides of different lengths, part of which sides are provided with cavities, and part of which are plain, and a cavity in the center of the tile.

6. A key for tiling and like purposes, separable into two or more parts and each part having a locking member.

'7. A key for tiling and like purposes, made in equal parts and constructed to fit recesses in the sides of a tile, and interchangeable with a key in the center of the tile.

8. A key for tiles having a plurality of locking members and separable into two or more keys each having a locking member.

9. Keys for tiles having a plurality of beveled locking parts; in combination with tiles having major and minor straight sides, part of which sides are provided with parts oppositely beveled, whereby the tiles are secured to each other and are adapted to be secured to a surface.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD T. BATES.

Vitnesses:

D. C. REINOHL, W. PARKER REINOHL. 

